Rap's Top Ten Struggle Songs

Hip-hop is the music of the people, and the sound of grumbling bellies sets the beat. In the game of life, it's eat or be eaten, and only the hungriest survive to tell their story.

Songs about struggle are a cornerstone of the genre. Brooding tales of desperation often become heralded classics. Everyone can relate to being down on one's luck, and we all need motivation to get us through.

So when you find yourself down and out, put on one of these jams and remind yourself to get up, get out, and get something.

Rick Ross - "Hold Me Back"
Even Bawses struggle sometimes. Rose fuels his grind with cacophonous strings and evil bass booms. He lets spew a laundry list of aggravating setbacks that would have a lesser man hanging up his hat and crying in his hands. Real bosses take the bad on the chin and hustle through the hate. Ross is lucky to have a team that's in it to win it with him, and he gives them a shoutout, as well as his mom. Mom's might be the best motivation there is, besides the looks on the haters' faces when you make it.

Kanye West - "Touch the Sky"
Mr. West puts the horns and upbeat on the struggle, giving hustlers and dreamers something to hold their head up to while staying steady on the grind. This is his celebration, before he set most of the world on fire with his braggy antics and don't-give-a-fuck attitude. Just remember, before he had the Throne, West shopped his rhymes to label after label, getting laughed at and shoved into a corner as a beat-maker in a cage. If you keep believing in yourself, you too may one day steal mics from award recipients and get the chance to get in your zone.